Methods and systems of reading utility meters and methods and systems of transmitting utility meter data

Abstract

A method of polling of meter data measured by a plurality of utility measuring devices and transmitted over a plurality of wireless local area network (WLAN) channels. The method comprises capturing a plurality of management frames which are transmitted periodically by a plurality of utility measuring devices over a plurality of WLAN channels, extracting meter data from each the management frame, and updating a plurality of consumer records, each according to respective the meter data from a respective the utility measuring device.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of polling of meter data measured by a plurality of utility measuring devices and transmitted over a plurality of wireless local area network (WLAN) channels, comprising:
 capturing a plurality of frames of a WLAN protocol which are transmitted periodically by the plurality of utility measuring devices over the plurality of WLAN channels, said plurality of frames are of a type of Management Frames, 
 wherein a format of said plurality of frames is defined according to said WLAN protocol for communication before a WLAN association with an interrogation device is established, 
 wherein each of said plurality of frames contains meter data of respective each of said plurality of utility measuring devices embedded in an Information Element (IE) field of said plurality of frames, wherein said plurality of frames are of the type of the Management Frames, said IE field and said Management Frames are defined according to said WLAN protocol, and 
 wherein said transmission periodically by the plurality of utility measuring devices is conducted without establishing the WLAN association with the interrogation device; 
 extracting said meter data from said each of said plurality of frames; and 
 updating a plurality of consumer records, each one of the consumer records according to respective said meter data from the respective said each of said plurality of utility measuring device. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said capturing is further performed without establishing the WLAN association with any of said plurality of utility measuring devices. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of frames is a plurality of probe request frames. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said capturing is further performed by conveying a portable radio transceiver along a reading path. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said extracting further comprises extracting an identifier from said each of said plurality of frames; wherein said updating further comprises updating said each one of said plurality of consumer records according to a match with a respective said identifier. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said updating further comprises forwarding said meter data to a management system over a network. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said updating further comprises identifying a resource provider associated with the respective said meter data and forwarding said respective meter data to a first management unit of a plurality of management units; wherein said first management unit being associated with said resource provider. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein said updating is further performed in real time. 
     
     
       9. A method of providing an interrogation device with meter data over a wireless local area network (WLAN) channel of a plurality of WLAN channels, comprising:
 automatically receiving the meter data from at least one consumption reading unit of a plurality of consumption reading units, wherein the meter data is transmitted periodically by said at least one consumption reading unit over the plurality of WLAN channels; 
 encoding said meter data to embedded meter data in an information element (IE) field of a frame, wherein the frame is of a type of Management Frame of a WLAN protocol, 
 wherein a format of the frame in said IE and said Management Frame is defined according to said WLAN protocol; 
 and wherein said frame is defined according to said WLAN protocol for communication before a WLAN association with the interrogation device is established; and 
 transmitting said frame containing said encoded meter data over the WLAN channel without establishing the WLAN association with the interrogation device; 
 extracting said encoded meter data from said frame; and 
 updating a plurality of consumer records, each one of the consumer records according to respective said encoded meter data from respective each of said plurality of consumption reading units. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein said transmitting is further performed without an identification of a recipient. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 9 , wherein said transmitting is further repeated periodically. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising receiving an encoded management frame which comprises an encryption key over said WLAN channel; said encoding said meter data being further performed according to said encryption key. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising receiving an encoded WLAN management frame which comprises a request for additional data over said WLAN channel; said encoding said meter data further comprises encoding said additional data as information element in said WLAN management frame. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein said transmitting is further performed in response to said request. 
     
     
       15. A utility measuring device, comprising:
 a power source; 
 at least one consumption reading unit of a plurality of consumption reading units which measures consumption of at least one resource and outputs meter data accordingly; 
 a processing unit which encodes said meter data in a dedicated Information Element (IE) field of a frame, wherein the frame is of a type of Management Frame of a wireless local area network (WLAN) protocol, wherein a format of the frame in said Information Element field and said Management Frame is defined according to said WLAN protocol, and wherein said frame is defined according to said WLAN protocol for communication before a WLAN association with an interrogation device is established; and 
 WLAN interface unit which periodically transmits said encoded meter data over a WLAN channel without establishing the WLAN association with the interrogation device, wherein extracting said encoded meter data from said frame; and updating a plurality of consumer records, each one of the consumer records according to respective said encoded meter data from a respective each of said plurality of consumption reading units. 
 
     
     
       16. The utility measuring device of  claim 15 , wherein said WLAN interface unit further transmits said encoded meter data without an identification of a recipient. 
     
     
       17. The utility measuring device of  claim 15 , wherein said at least one consumption reading unit is a member of a group consisting of a power meter, a solar meter, a fuel meter, a gas meter, and a renewable energy meter. 
     
     
       18. The utility measuring device of  claim 15 , wherein said processing unit is further configured to receive at least one member of a group consisting of instructions, commands, and operation data, over said WLAN channel without the WLAN association with said interrogation device. 
     
     
       19. A system of monitoring a plurality of consumption reading units installed in a plurality of consumer sites, comprising:
 a plurality of utility measuring devices, each of the utility measuring devices transmits meter data, acquired from at least one consumption reading unit of the consumption reading units, over a wireless local area network (WLAN) channel, said meter data is encoded in a dedicated Information Element (IE) field of a respective frame, wherein the respective frame is of a type of Management Frame of said WLAN protocol; and 
 an interrogation device which captures from said each utility measuring device of the utility measuring devices said respective frame and updates a plurality of consumer records, each of the plurality of consumer records according to respective said meter data which is extracted from said respective frame; 
 wherein a format of said respective frame is in the Information Element and said Management Frame is defined according to said WLAN protocol for communication before a WLAN association is established, and wherein said plurality of utility measuring devices transmit said meter data without establishing the WLAN association with said interrogation device. 
 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 19 , wherein said plurality of consumer records are managed by a management unit, said interrogation device further extracts said meter data from said respective frame and forwards said meter data over a network to said management unit. 
     
     
       21. The system of  claim 19 , wherein said each utility measuring device further transmits respective said meter data without an identification of a recipient.